More than 2,000 Northern Irish students demonstrated this week to demand the abolition of tuition fees and the restoration of grants and social security benefit.
Brian Slevin, convenor of the National Union of Students - Union of Students in Ireland, said: "Students are still suffering financial hardship. The community in Northern Ireland expects Sean Farren (the minister for higher education) to restore student grants and abolish tuition fees in his forthcoming review of student finance."
Dr Farren has said this would throw the already agreed budget for his department into turmoil.